Politics

Senator McCain: "The American People Are Being Ripped Off"

Senator John McCain says "the American people are being ripped off." In an op-ed piece for the "Los Angeles Times," the Arizona Republican lays out his argument for a plan that would ensure cable TV subscribers only pay for the channels they want to watch. McCain says most subscribers to cable or satellite television are stuck paying rising prices for bundled packages of more than 100 channels, when the average viewer only watches about 18 of them.

The senator admits he loves ESPN, but notes those subscribers who don't watch the sports network are paying about five-dollars a month for a channel they don't want. He calls it an "ESPN tax" of 60 dollars a year. McCain also points out that services like iTunes and Netflix are flourishing with a la carte pricing. McCain's bill is called the Television Consumer Freedom Act. His proposed legislation is expected to die in the Senate.